Epilogue
I t was shady in the treeline, and much cooler than being out in the full sun. The freckled skin on my shoulders was already pink and protesting, despite the factor fifty I’d slapped on. To my right was an unobstructed view of the Cotswolds laid out in glorious technicolour – rolling hills that were luscious and green, and a patchwork of manicured farmland as far as the eye could see. Insects buzzed lazily around us, and there was the drone of tractors and balers in the distance and the smell of cut hay providing a quintessentially English country backdrop to the day.
As my body swayed in time with Pluto’s steady hoofbeats, an unfamiliar fluffy contentment settled in my chest, like I was being filled to the brim with sickly sweet candy floss. Things were slotting into place, my life having taken such a different trajectory in recent months. The absence of feeling like I was always on the brink of disaster was taking some getting used to. Teddy and I had discussed our future at length: he was supportive of me moving to Bristol and had even offered to try and set up an architectural practice there, but for me it felt like a backwards step to return, so I’d rescinded my request for an interview. In a quirk of fate, a job offer from a local equine referral practice had come through just a few weeks ago, a part-time research position created just for me, which allowed me to stay on as a partner with Giles and build up the practice, yet still fulfil some of my academic yearning. I’d read and re-read the terms of the offer, certain there was a catch somewhere, but it really was as perfect as it could possibly be.
Teddy had been keen that I move into The Old Rectory straight away, but I’d resisted for a while to check he was sincere. Newsflash, he was. And since me moving out of the flat freed up space for a new vet to start at the practice, it did make sense. But when I’d locked my old front door behind me for the last time, and entered The Old Rectory as my new home, a bubble of anxiety and distrust had set my jangly nerves on edge, as I waited for this perfect facade to crumble away to dust. In fact, I’d kept an overnight bag with essentials packed and ready to go, just in case I needed to make a speedy getaway. That was, until last night, when Teddy had found it under the bed, packed a case of his own, and placed them both by the front door, asking casually over dinner if we were going away anywhere nice on a mini-break.
Holding my hands gently, he’d said, “I’m with you, always and forever, but if you feel you need to run away, give me a chance to get my stuff together first, because I’ll gladly go anywhere you want.”
Pluto flicked an ear to the left in brief acknowledgement of something crashing about in the woods next to us. Picking up the loose rein from his neck, I leant forward. “Come on, fella, let’s beat his sorry arse.”
Striking into a canter, we set a blistering pace across the edge of the field, aiming for a dip and a small break in the trees ahead, all the while conscious of a brightly coloured shape zipping between the trunks alongside us at an alarming speed. As I urged the horse on, a broad grin stretched over my face, the wind whipping exhilarated laughter from my lips, cast away and lost into the turbulent air behind us.
As we neared the entrance back into the woods, our pace easing back to a trot, Teddy appeared on his mountain bike, blocking the path into the trees ahead. Even after these last few months together, this glimpse of him set my heart rate rocketing. His face was the picture of perfection despite him panting and beaming like a loon.
“What took you so long, slowcoach?”
“Well, fancy running into you today, Teddy Fraser.”
He was extraordinarily pleased with himself, I could tell, as he patted his swanky new steed affectionately. The smug twitch of his lips drew my eye straight to his mouth, instantly setting into play an erotic movie reel of what it had been doing to my body when we’d woken up this morning.
“What a piece of luck, huh?” Pluto began sidling up to Teddy, who leant his bike against a tree and reached up to pat the horse’s neck, offering him a mint from his pocket. “You ok, mate? Has she been picking on you again? Us chaps really do need to stick together.”
Sliding down from the saddle, I stroked my horse’s nose gratefully while he snuffled my fingers in search of more sweets, licking his lips and slobbering delightedly at the treat I offered him.
“Yeah, you boys are so hard done by.”
Teddy had taken his helmet off and looped the chinstrap over the handlebars. His hair was dishevelled and standing on end, his eyes twinkling in that gloriously mischievous way that was so familiar to me now.
“I’m glad you recognise this fact. Pluto’s had a mint, but how are you going to make it up to me?”
I unclipped the lead rope that was attached to the saddle and tied Pluto up to a nearby tree, whereupon he happily began snacking on the lowest branches, now well used to these impromptu woodland rendezvous.
“I don’t know, Fraser, what would be a nice thing for me to do to make it up to you?”
The answering grin was radiant. “I can think of a few nice things you can do.”
“Mmmm.”
Closing the distance, I tugged at his fingers until he followed me around the back of a large oak and under its ancient branches, which drooped almost to the ground. We stood together on a carpet of spongey moss, an electric tension palpable around us.
“What could you possibly have in mind, Dr Havens?”
I still had my riding crop, and with an overt flourish I slapped it against my long leather boots, so that his eyes darkened and he swallowed slowly.
“Well, well, well, this is an unexpected surprise,” he said in a low voice.
“Am I making you nervous?”
I pointed the whip at his chest, flicking the little leather flap so it smacked against his clothes.
“A little.” Stepping forwards, he took the whip gently from my hand and laid it on the ground. “Why don’t you show me just how much you’ve learnt since becoming a fellow in the Fraser Foundation for Flirting.”
Snorting, I removed my riding hat, before tracing a finger over Teddy’s tight Lycra T-shirt, my palm resting on his pectorals. I firmly pushed him back against the trunk of the tree and bit my lip while my hand travelled down towards the waistband of his shorts. I didn’t break eye contact, noticing with satisfaction the widening of his pupils and the distinctly uneasy bob of his Adam’s apple.
Leaning in to nibble his neck and tasting the salt on his skin, I gently sucked and kissed my way up to his ear.
“How about a little role play?”
Teddy sucked in a breath.
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“What do you have in mind? Brave knight and damsel in distress?”
“While you make a very good damsel in distress, Teddy, that’s not what I had in mind.”
Our faces close now, he grinned against my lips. “Doctors and nurses?”
I tutted. “So clichéd.”
His hands reached up to my hair, grabbing my ponytail so he could tilt my head backwards. Running his nose up my throat, he groaned against my skin, the noise rumbling and reverberating through to my very core.
“I can definitely be a fireman, but I’m not being Mr Darcy again.”
“How about you play the sexy architect and I’ll be the ravishing vet.”
“Sounds implausible.”
“Undoubtedly, but let’s give it a go.”